Located in the foothills of the beautiful Chartreuse Mountains, La Corne d’Or (concrete floors, big wooden tables, XXL bay windows) has grandiose views of Grésivaudan and the Belledonne massif. Holding her own against the panorama, Thaïs Giannetti (ex-Kitchen Café in Lyon) crafts chic menus. The day we went for lunch, ours (€30) featured: sweet cooked beetroot with pickled red onion, figs, mustard cream and seeds (or raw mullet with sauce vierge, fresh almonds, button mushrooms, diced and creamed zucchini), sponged up with homemade bread made from organic flour from Le Trièves; radiant poultry (slow-cooked shredded thigh, roasted suprême) pimped out with mashed potatoes, seaweed, daikon radish and a jus de volaille (or some very fresh hake encircled with roasted and puréed carrots, rhubarb and a fish jus); before a delicious sponge cake served with vanilla ice cream, peppery meringue, cherry jus and rosat geranium.
FEELING THIRSTY? Natural wines from the region: a Saint-Véran from Isabelle and Bruno Perraud (€9 a glass), Son Altesse, a Savoyard white from Jacques Maillet (€52 a bottle) or Cante Renard, a Languedoc red from Philippe Pirabot (€6/26). Pro tip: the house also sells bottles of wine to go.
PRICE: Menus €24-48 (weekday lunch), €48-75 (dinner and weekends, €68-110 with food and wine pairings), à la carte €47-59.
